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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bound · squash · sharp · march · jam · face · wake · chest

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. bound — certain
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. face — to point toward
  6. march — the month
  7. chest — a box
  8. bound — tied together
  9. chest — of your body
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. march — the month
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bound — obliged
  15. wake — a trail
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. march — music
  19. squash — to crush
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. squash — the sport
  22. face — to confront
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. chest — of your body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com